By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Negrense tennis star Alexandra Eala ended her year with a defeat to World’s No. 9 Mirra Andreeva in the women’s singles match of the Macau Tennis Masters on Sunday, December 28.

The 20-year-old Eala faltered to the Russian standout, 6-4, 6-2, in what served as Eala’s final on-court appearance of the year.

Andreeva entered the singles encounter after recovering from an illness that forced her to pull out of the tournament’s mixed doubles competition a day earlier.

The two players were originally scheduled to meet twice over the weekend, but Andreeva’s withdrawal reshuffled the doubles draw.

Eala instead teamed up with China’s Jerry Shang in mixed doubles, where they absorbed a 7-5, 7-6 (1) setback against Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and China’s Yibing Wu.

Despite the defeat, the exhibition match capped a breakthrough season for Eala, who made significant strides on the international stage in 2025.

Eala now turns her focus to preparations for the 2026 campaign, building on a year that further established her presence in elite women’s tennis./ASC, WDJ